THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.
185-Ray Charles-Georgia On My Mind.
1960-Number 24 single.
Best Bit-At 2.46.For whom was this song written,was it about a girl,or about a state?
‘Georgia On My Mind’ was written in 1930,the lyrics were composed by Stuart Gorrell(1901-1963) and the music by Hoagy Carmichael(1899-1981.) Gorrell was asked by his mother after reading the lyrics several times,’What is Georgia.a girl or a state,’to which Gorrell answered,’What do you think?’ In Hoagy Carmichael’s(see also best songs 288) autobiography he wrote that saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer told him he should write a song about the state of Georgia,to which Carmichael jokingly volunteered the first two words,’Georgia,Georgia.’It is also worth noting that Carmichael had a sister called Georgia.
In 1960 Ray Charles(see also best songs 475) a native of Georgia recorded what was to become the most famous version of the song,taking it to Number 1 on Billboard.In 1979 Charles performed the song in the aftermath of years of activism and national legislation resulting from the Civil Rights Movement,he performed the song before the Georgia General Assembly.After this performance the Assembly adopted it as the state song of Georgia on April 24,1979.
‘I said just an old sweet song keeps Georgia on my mind.’
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